A Kenyan fisherman allegedly escaped arrest and cheated death on Tuesday night after he jumped into Lake Victoria to escape arrest from armed Ugandan marine officers.
Reports indicate that Ben Wandera jumped into the lake after the officers impounded his boat where he had gone for a fishing expedition near Majanji beach.
Speaking to the Nation, the fisherman lamented of how the Kenyan fishermen were suffering at the hands of Ugandan Authorities.
“Kenyan fishermen have been reduced to hostages in the lake by Ugandan soldiers. The government seems to have neglected its people. We are at the mercy of the Ugandan forces who not only steal from us but also beat up our people,” he stated.
He went on to disclose that during the night incident, three of his colleagues were not so lucky as they got arrested and were taken to a detention camp in Uganda.
“My colleagues who were at the front of the boat were hard hit but as some of the officers approached me, I grabbed a lifesaver jacket from our boat and dived into the lake,” Wandera divulged.
Furthermore, he revealed that his decision to jump into the lake was based on the fact that the officers, around ten in number, were armed with guns and machetes in an extraordinary boat.
“They (the soldiers) ambushed us when we were casting our fishing nets and started hitting us with clubs".
“I dived into the lake to divert their attention with the hope that they would leave my friends but I could still hear their cries as I swam away. They did not even bother to follow me,” Wandera noted further.
He appealed to the Kenyan authorities to secure the lake and protect Kenyan fishermen from perennial harassment by Ugandan security men.
He specifically urged President Uhuru Kenyatta to immediately deploy Kenyan marine officers to protect them from attacks.
Nevetheless, he stated that he was yet to report the ordeal to the police.
